1. 2013 ONPHA Conference and Trade Show
Homelessness policy
Nick Falvo
Carleton University
2013 ONPHA Conference and Trade Show
Session: “308 A critical review of the federal and provincial record in housing”
October 18, 2013
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to the following individuals for assistance with this slide presentation: Martha Attridge Bufton, Carey Doberstein, Stephen Gaetz, James Hughes, Frances Montgomery, Steve Pomeroy, Shannon Rutledge, Rebecca Schiff, Christopher Stoney, Greg Suttor, Ivan Taylor and Victor Willis. All errors are mine.

2. Overview Background Housing First Changes Post-2006 Emerging Themes
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Overview
Background
Housing First
Changes Post-2006
Emerging Themes
Summary

3. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Background

4. National Homelessness Initiative (NHI)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
National Homelessness Initiative (NHI)
Established in 1999, along with a Homelessness Secretariat within HRSDC (which is now “ESDC”).
Initially, a 3-year, $753M initiative.
It has since been renewed multiple times
Source: Pomeroy, S., & Falvo, N. (in press). Chapter 15: Pragmatism and political expediency: Housing policy under the Harper regime. In Stoney, C., & Doern, B. (Eds.). How Ottawa spends, Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

5. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Expansion of Services
: ↑ homeless services across Ontario, in part due to Golden Task Force, in part due to SCPI.
→Rent bank, eviction prevention programs, more housing of workers in shelters
Source: Falvo, N. (2009). Homelessness, program responses, and an assessment of Toronto’s Streets to Homes program. Retrieved from Canadian Policy Research Networks website:
Note: Special thanks to Greg Suttor for pointing out that this was an Ontario-wide phenomenon.

6. Expansion of Services (cont’d)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Expansion of Services (cont’d)
Increase in number of all-day shelters and the revamping of Seaton House
: Ontario gov’t ↑d supportive housing units.
→ # of supportive housing units in Toronto ↑d from 2,400 to 4,200.
A substantial proportion of NHI funds were used for “long term transitional housing.”
Source: Falvo, N. (2009). Homelessness, program responses, and an assessment of Toronto’s Streets to Homes program. Retrieved from Canadian Policy Research Networks website:

7. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Housing First
The principle of providing a homeless person with permanent housing has been embraced and promoted by activists (especially persons on the “left”) at least since homelessness became a pressing public policy issue in the 1980s.
But “Housing First” (as a term) started to enter into the mainstream lexicon with New York City’s Pathways program in the 1990s. And it got ‘cool’ in Canada with the advent of Toronto’s Streets to Homes program, which began in 2005.
Source: Falvo, N. (2009). Homelessness, program responses, and an assessment of Toronto’s Streets to Homes program. Retrieved from Canadian Policy Research Networks website:

8. Housing First (cont’d)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Housing First (cont’d)
ESDC (specifically, the HPS program) has embraced it.
But that does not mean that ESDC (or any ministry or dept. at any level of government in Canada) has committed to acting with the scale necessary (i.e. with a sufficient amount of resources) to eliminate homelessness at any point in the future.

9. The Harper Years Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Source:

10. The Harper Years (cont’d)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
The Harper Years (cont’d)
“The prime minister is a complicated man. He is at heart deeply ideological, a Margaret Thatcher conservative who believes firmly in the primacy of markets. However, on broad issues, Harper has been willing to demonstrate a surprising streak of flexibility.”
— Tom Walkom, Toronto Star
Source: Walkom, T. (2013, May 21). Senate expense scandal points to the essential Stephen Harper: Walkom. The Toronto Star. Retrieved from

11. The Harper Years (cont’d)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
The Harper Years (cont’d)
In Dec. ‘06, the Harper government brought in the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (HPS). This replaced the NHI, but retained many of its key features.
NHI’s focus had been emergency responses to homelessness. But, since Harper, HPS has had more of a Housing First focus.
HPS: $135M/yr. (representing a slight reduction)
Sep ’08: HPS extended through to Mar ‘11.
Source on first two bullets: B. Pearce, personal communication, May 20, 2013
Source on Dec. ‘06 period: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Strategic Policy and Research Branch, Evaluation Directorate. (2008). Summative Evaluation of the National Homelessness Initiative (SP-AH E). Retrieved from
Source on third point re: annual cost of HPS: Doberstein, C. (2012). Applying European ideas on federalism and doing it better? The government of Canada’s homelessness policy experiment. Canadian Public Policy, 38(3),
Source on fourth bullet re: extension to 2011: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Strategic Policy and Research Branch, Evaluation Directorate. (2009). Evaluation of the Homelessness Partnering Strategy (SP-AH E). Retrieved from

12. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Federal Budget 2013
Unexpected renewal and extension of HPS through to 2019
Even more emphasis on Housing First
HPS is now $119M/yr
Source: Pomeroy, S. (2013, May). The fundamental of housing policy & governance: A condensed, one-day course. Carleton University, Ottawa.
Note: This information appeared on Slide #32 in Mr. Pomeroy’s deck.

13. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Aboriginal Peoples

14. Aboriginal Persons as a %age of Homeless Population
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Aboriginal Persons as a %age of Homeless Population
Toronto
26%
Calgary
16%
Edmonton
38%
Vancouver
32%
Source: National Aboriginal Housing Association. (2009). A time for action: A national plan to address aboriginal housing. Retrieved from National Aboriginal Housing Association website: .
Notes: Toronto number represents percentage of outdoor number, from 2006 Toronto Street Needs Assessment. Calgary numbers are from 2008 biennial street count. Edmonton figure is from October 2008 count. Vancouver figure is from March 2008 count.

15. NHI (now called the HPS)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
NHI (now called the HPS)
The NHI included $59 M “in targeted funding for an Urban Aboriginal Strategy for Homelessness
Initially with SCPI, “there was no requirement for participating cities to work with the Aboriginal communities in developing community plans and funding priorities.”
“Learning to compete with large, well-staffed, and highly professional non-Aboriginal service providers at a municipal level and through the competitive Request for Proposal mechanism was often a frustrating and discouraging exercise.”
Source: Devine, G. (2004). Chapter 23: Aboriginal Housing in Canada. In J. D. Hulchanski, & M. Shapcott (Eds.), Finding room: Policy options for a Canadian rental housing strategy (pp ). Toronto: Centre for Urban and Community Studies, University of Toronto.
Note: Information has been taken from page 353.

16. Aboriginal Component of HPS
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Aboriginal Component of HPS
There is now an Aboriginal Component of the HPS that represents approximately 11% of its annual budget.
Many Canadian cities (including Toronto and Vancouver) now have two CABs devoted towards ending homelessness—a ‘mainstream’ CAB and an Aboriginal CAB.
Source on 11% of Budget: National Aboriginal Housing Association. (2009). A time for action: A national plan to address aboriginal housing. Retrieved from National Aboriginal Housing Association website: .
Source on Aboriginal CABs: C. Doberstein, personal communication, April 25, 2013

17. Scale HPS today: $119M/yr. # of unique individuals: 147,000
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Scale
HPS today: $119M/yr.
# of unique individuals: 147,000
Annual support per unique individual: $800
This translates into <$70/month for every “unique individual” who experiences homelessness across Canada in a given year.
Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. (2012). The national shelter study highlights (Cat. No. ISSD-097B-10-12E). Retrieved from
Note: The number of unique individuals is for 2009, the most recent year for which data is publicly available. The precise figure is 146,726.

18. Recent Ontario Developments
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Recent Ontario Developments
McGuinty photo:
Wynne photo:

19. CHPI Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI
Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative (CHPI)
Combines funding from 5 homelessness programs.
To be administered by Ontario’s Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Implementation date: January 1, 2013
Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: For more on the CHPI, see this link:
Note: The CHPI was “announced by the Province on July 24, 2012.” Source: City of Toronto. (2012). Changes to provincial funding approaches for homeless prevention and social assistance programs: Implementation strategies and issues. Retrieved from Quote is from page 9 of the report.

20. CHPI (cont’d) CHPI replaces these five programs:
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
CHPI replaces these five programs:
Consolidated Homelessness Prevention Program (MCSS)
Emergency Energy Fund (MCSS)
Emergency Hostel Services (MCSS)
Domiciliary Hostel Program (MCSS)
Provincial Rent bank (MMAH)
Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from

21. CHPI (cont’d) Annual cost of CHPI: $246M
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
Annual cost of CHPI: $246M
To be funded 100% by provincial government
“The CHPI program provides each of the 47 Service Managers in Ontario with a funding envelope.”
No matching funding required by municipal governments (even though matching funding had previously been required for both Domiciliary Hostels and Emergency Hostel Services).
Source for first two bullets: Hope, J. (2012, July 24). [Memorandum to the chief administrative officer, Regional Municipality of York, B. MacGregor]. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.
Source on third bullet: City of Toronto. (2012). Changes to provincial funding approaches for homeless prevention and social assistance programs: Implementation strategies and issues. Retrieved from Note: Quote is from page 10 of the report.
Source for fourth bullet: Ontario. (2012, August 13). Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative. No author or location specified in slide deck.

22. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
Such a consolidation was an outcome of the Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review.
CHPI ostensibly gives municipalities more flexibility in designing services to homeless persons.
Source re: Provincial-Municipal Fiscal and Service Delivery Review: Hope, J. (2012, July 24). [Memorandum to the chief administrative officer, Regional Municipality of York, B. MacGregor]. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

23. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
CHPI includes an amount equivalent to 50% (i.e. $63M) of what the provincial government had previously been contributing to the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB), which was eliminated in the 2012 provincial budget (effective January 1, 2013).
Previously CSUMB had been part of the OW and ODSP programs, helping clients “with the costs of a establishing a new principal residence, preventing eviction or dicontinuance of utilities, or maintaining a new residence…”
Source: Urbanski, A. (2012, September 12). [Memorandum to members of the community health services committee]. York Region.
Notes: Quote is from page 2 of the memorandum. The $63M figure is taken from Ontario. (2012, August 13). Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative. No author or location specified in slide deck. The exact figure is $62.6 million.

24. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
Service Managers are allowed to use CHPI funding for the following:
Emergency Shelter Solutions
Housing With Related Supports
Other Services and Supports
Homelessness Prevention
Note: Service Managers “are not required to fund activities under all four categories…”
Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: Quote is from page 13.

25. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
“All services and activities that were eligible to receive funding under the previous five homelessness-related programs being consolidated are eligible under the CHPI.”
CHPI will not fund capital expenditures. That is: no new construction; no conversions; no repairs; no renovations; no retrofits; no purchases of existing buildings; no buying of land.
Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: Quote is from page 13.

26. CHPI: Stacking Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: The above has been copied and pasted from page 10 of the document.

27. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI: 3-Year Plans
Beginning in Year 3 of the CHPI (i.e. 2015/16), Service Managers “will receive notice of their planning allocations for the following three years. Based on these planning allocations, SMs will be expected to develop a three-year Investment Plan outlining how their annual allocations will be used in subsequent years (after March 31, 2016).”
The plans should “align” each respective Service Manager’s local Housing and Homelessness Plan.
Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: Quote in first bullet is from page 6 of the document. Quoted in second bullet is from page 13.
Note: “[U]ntil the period ending on March 31, 2016, Service Managers are required to develop an Investment Plan for each year (p. 24).” Source: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: “The new Housing Services Act requires municipalities to have a Housing and Homelessness Plan by 2014…” Source: City of Toronto. (2012). Changes to provincial funding approaches for homeless prevention and social assistance programs: Implementation strategies and issues. Retrieved from Note: Quote is from page 14 of the report.

28. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
CHPI (cont’d)
The CHPI claims to embrace the Housing First approach (while also funding transitional housing).
But, like the HPS, it does not commit to meeting the scale of the problem.
Like the federal government, the Ontario government is saying: “We believe that homeless persons should have housing; but we are not going to provide every homeless person with housing.”
Source for first bullet: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from
Note: The quote is my own.

29. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Ontario First Nations
“Policy and funding responsibility for First Nations for the Emergency Energy Fund, Emergency Hostel Services and the Community-Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit will remain with MCSS.”
Source: Ontario. (2012, August 13). Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative. No author or location specified in slide deck.
Note: Quote is from page 4 of the slide deck.

30. Net Reduction in Funding
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Net Reduction in Funding
“[CHPI] provides greater flexibility…However, the City will receive less provincial funding for homeless prevention services as a result of the elimination of the Community Start-Up and Maintenance Benefit (CSUMB) in the 2012 provincial budget.” —Deputy City Manager City of Toronto
Source: City of Toronto. (2012). Changes to provincial funding approaches for homeless prevention and social assistance programs: Implementation strategies and issues. Retrieved from
Note: Quote is from page 1 of the report.

31. New Risks for Municipalities
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
New Risks for Municipalities
“The CHPI also changes the funding model for emergency shelters from an open-ended, demand-based model to a capped funding envelope, which presents new financial risks to the City.” —Deputy City Manager City of Toronto
Source: City of Toronto. (2012). Changes to provincial funding approaches for homeless prevention and social assistance programs: Implementation strategies and issues. Retrieved from
Note: Quote is from page 1 of the report.

32. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
New Risks (cont’d)
“If there are sudden increases in demand due to serious economic downturns, increased numbers of refugees or emergencies like the fire at 200 Wellesley St, the Province will no longer provide additional funding for increased shelter beds to accommodate the demand.” —Deputy City Manager City of Toronto
Source: City of Toronto. (2012). Changes to provincial funding approaches for homeless prevention and social assistance programs: Implementation strategies and issues. Retrieved from
Note: Quote is from page 8 of the report.

33. Lack of Coordination on Supp. Housing
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Lack of Coordination on Supp. Housing
Provincially-funded supportive housing is administered through the LHIN network.
Meanwhile, Service Managers are developing 10-year plans to address homelessness.
Should the role/coordination of supportive housing as a policy response to homelessness be left as a matter for the 47 Service Managers and 14 LHINs to work out?
Flexibility sure sounds nice, but how ad hoc should supportive housing really be across Ontario?
Note: Special thanks to Greg Suttor for assistance with this slide.

34. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Five Emerging Themes

35. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
1. Crowded Shelters

36. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Note: Zoe Dodd, protesting shelter conditions in Toronto. Photo was taken in March 2013 at a Metro Hall protest. I copied and pasted the photo from Dodd’s Facebook status update on 5 April 2013.
Background:

37. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Source: Fiorito, J. (2013, March 15). Shelter numbers tell a different story from Ford’s: Fiorito. The Toronto Star. Retrieved from

38. Permanent Shelter Beds (Toronto)
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Permanent Shelter Beds (Toronto)
Source: City of Toronto, Shelter, Support and Housing Administration. (2013). Update on emergency shelter services. Retrieved from
Note: This visual has been copied and pasted from page 12 of the report.

39. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
More Emergency Beds?
“The Province has indicated that enhanced funding will not be likely in the future if municipalities subsequently open any new emergency and transitional housing initiatives.”
- Adelina Urbanski
Commissioner of Community and Health Services, York Region
Source: Urbanski, A. (2012, September 12). [Memorandum to members of the community health services committee]. York Region.
Note: Quote is from page 3 of the memorandum.

40. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
2. Homeless Seniors

41. Canada’s Population, 1978 and 2038
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Canada’s Population, 1978 and 2038
Source: Butler-Jones, David Growing Older: Adding Life to Years. The Chief Public Health Officer’s Report on the State of Public Health in Canada Primary Data Source: Statistics Canada. Note: The 2038 figures refer to projected population. This figure has been copied-and-pasted from p. 14 of the report.

42. Homeless Seniors: Canada
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Homeless Seniors: Canada
Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. (2012). The national shelter study highlights (Cat. No. ISSD-097B-10-12E). Retrieved from
Note: This visual has been copied and pasted from page 6 of the document.

43. Homeless Seniors: Toronto
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Homeless Seniors: Toronto
Source: City of Toronto. (2013) Street Needs Assessment: Results. Retrieved from City of Toronto website:
Note: This visual has been copied and pasted directly from page 19 of the report.

44. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
3. HPS’ Erosion

45. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Erosion by Stealth
Annual Value of NHI in 1999 (in 2013 dollars)
Current Annual Value of HPS (in 2013 dollars)
$331M
$119M
Ergo: HPS’ current annual value, adjusting for inflation, is a mere 36% of the NHI’s original value.
Notes: Doberstein (2012) asserts that, in fact, the “federal outlay” on NHI, per year, “averaged [just] $184 million.”
Source: Doberstein, C. (2012). Applying European ideas on federalism and doing it better? The government of Canada’s homelessness policy experiment. Canadian Public Policy, 38(3), Quotes are from page 400.
Notes: “The initial phase of the NHI ran from and is referred to as ‘Phase 1’. In 2003, the NHI was renewed for an additional three years ($405M), with a further one-year extension ( ) announced in November 2005 ($134.8M).” Source: Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Strategic Policy and Research Branch, Evaluation Directorate. (2008). Summative Evaluation of the National Homelessness Initiative (SP-AH E). Retrieved from Note: Quote is from page i.

46. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
4. Results of AHCS Study

47. At Home/Chez Soi (AHCS) Study
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
At Home/Chez Soi (AHCS) Study
Source: Scoffield, H. (2012, September 6). A housing-for-homeless project belies Harper’s hard-line reputation. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from

48. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Summary
Prior to the 1980s, the “homeless” in Canada were generally not eligible for social housing. This started to change in the mid-1980s, especially in Toronto.
Likewise, it has become more common to talk about Housing First in Canada beginning in 2005.

49. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Summary (cont’d)
I personally don’t believe that the Housing First approach itself is new. Rather, I think the branding is new. There is, in effect, an aspect of marketing occuring here.
And remember: there is an important difference between funding Housing First for some individuals in need versus funding Housing First for all individuals in need. Ergo: ‘Housing First, but not necessarily housing.’

50. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Summary (cont’d)
Ontario’s latest shift in homelessness programming appears to have been inspired by federal programming. Indeed, similarities between HPS and CHPI are quite evident.
That said, CHPI says very little about Aboriginal peoples and/or First Nations. The Nov. ‘12 Program Guidelines (a 40-page document) has just one sentence devoted to either group: “Funding and policy responsibility for First Nations on-reserve for the Emergency Energy Fund and Emergency Hostel Services will continue to be administered by MCSS (p. 1).”
Source for second bullet: Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. (2012). Community homelessness prevention initiative (CPHI): Program guidelines. Retrieved from

51. Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Thank You
Nick Falvo PhD Candidate (Public Policy) Carleton University

52. Appendix 1: Unheard Voices
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Appendix 1: Unheard Voices
A video clip that many City of Toronto officials (and many proponents of Housing First) would prefer you never see…
Unheard Voices, 2011
To see the clip in question, watch from 39:40 to 44:15
Note: This video clip is from Unheard Voices, a documentary that was edited and produced by Mike Yam. For more on the documentary, see this link:

53. Appendix 2: Funding Pool for CHPI
Session 308: Friday, Oct. 18
Appendix 2: Funding Pool for CHPI
Source: Ontario. (2012, August 13). Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative. No author or location specified in slide deck.
Note: This table has been copied and pasted directly from page 10 of the deck in question.